Reform Symposium Free Web Conference July 11-13

Join 1000+ teachers online for an inspirting event showcasing "wow" learning worldwide! Featuring 2 plenaries, 60+ presentations, 11 keynotes, panel discussions, tech/app/lessons swaps, and more! 

I am looking forward to this weekend's Reform Symposium Free Web Conference. It will be 3 days packed with learning and inspiration from the educators from around the world. For more information please follow the #RSCON5 hashtag on Twitter and visit The Future of Education page for a complete listing of sessions, presenters, and times. 

I will be doing two sessions plus participating in an app smackdown where I will be talking about Write About This . Here is the information for my sessions:

The Global Classroom Project 

When: Friday July 11, 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm (central time)

Description: Learn how a great idea and a simple tweet turned into a dynamic network of international educators who collaborate and participate in global projects. This session will highlight some of our projects and how you can get involved.

Tech and App Swapalooza

When: Saturday July 12, 9:00 - 10:00 am (central time)

Desription: Anyone can join in with a 2 minute presentation of their favorite app or web tool.

Reduce the Paper! Student-Created Digital Portfolios

When: Saturday July 12, 10:00 - 10:30 am (central time)

Description: Discover how your students can document their learning and thinking while reducing the amount of paper used in your classroom. Learn how students can create digital portfolios using ipad apps and Kidblog.

My 2nd Edcamp

Our official #edcampdallas photo

Yesterday I attended #edcampdallas with some of my favorite educators: @gpmorgan3 @janhodge2006 @margielsimpson and Karen McKenzie. We attended #edcampfwtx back in July so we knew what to expect this time.  We started by putting sticky notes all over a table with the topics we wanted learn about. Next, the sticky notes were storted (affinity map style) and then the sessions were created!

Session choices ranged from Skype, Augmented Reality, Genius Hour, PBL, iPad integration and more!  One of my favorite session was led by Jon Samuelson @ipadsammy: "Things that Rock and Things that Suck". Jon called out different topics and the participants went to one side of the room if they think it rocks or the went to the other side if they think it sucks. Neutral territory was in the middle. Topics included: flipped classroom, genius hour, digital textbooks, and a few others. Each time we moved to a new position we had an open discussion - which I really enjoyed. I think this would be a great learning model for my own classroom that would help get kids thinking and talking - I would probably change the name though :-)

I also enjoyed learning about digital storytelling apps for iPad led by Heather Russell @getheather. I don't have iPads in my classroom, but someday I hope to have a few. Tellagami was my favorite. It is easy to use and students could get very creative with it. Toontastic also provides a lot of options and opportunities for students to create and for teachers to assess their understanding.

In addition to all of the great sessions it was great meeting some of my Twitter friends. #2ndchatter @AllisonHoganESD and I met and it was also nice to see some friends and presenters from #ISTE13 and edcampfwtx: @Kenya75 @akbusybee @techninjatodd @lackeymartha @RafranzDavis and more!

#2ndchat peep Allison Hogan

Jan is proud of her new edcamp t-shirt!

Edcamp Swag

I won and "Ish" T-shirt!

A big THANK YOU is also in order for @Mattbgomez @8amber8 @kenya75 @akbusybee and the rest of the #edcampdallas team. It was an awesome day of learning and connecting!

My Summer MUST Reads!

My goal for this summer is to read at least 2-3 books for fun/professional development. These are at the top of my list:

The Book Whisper 
by Donalyn Miller

Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she couldn't turn into a reader. No matter how far behind Miller's students might be when they reach her 6th grade classroom, they end up reading an average of 40 to 50 books a year. Miller's unconventional approach dispenses with drills and worksheets that make reading a chore. Instead, she helps students navigate the world of literature and gives them time to read books they pick out themselves. Her love of books and teaching is both infectious and inspiring. The book includes a dynamite list of recommended "kid lit" that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read. Goodreads.com

The Passion-Driven Classroom 

by Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold

Discover ways to cultivate a thriving and passionate community of learners – in your classroom! In this book, educators and consultants Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold show you how to spark and sustain your students’ energy, excitement, and love of learning. Learn how to move away from prescription-driven learning toward passion-driven learning, and begin to make a real difference in the lives of your students. These strategies will help teachers in Grades K-12 put the "heart" back into teaching and learning – and make a lasting impact as educators.  Goodreads.com

Untangling the Web
By Adam Bellow and Steve Dembo

After attending #ISTE13 and hearing both Adam Bellow and Steve Dembo speak, I am excited about reading this book! Discover 20 free online learning tools and how to leverage technology to transform your classroom. Includes eBook component with hyperlinks, additional examples, and embedded videos. Goodreads.com

Teach Like a Pirate
by Dave Burgess

Based on Dave Burgess's popular "Outrageous Teaching" and "Teach Like a PIRATE" seminars, this book offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas that will help you to increase student engagement, boost your creativity, and transform your life as an educator. You'll learn how to: Tap into and dramatically increase your passion as a teacher Develop outrageously engaging lessons that draw students in like a magnet Establish rapport and a sense of camaraderie in your classroom Transform your class into a life-changing experience for your students This groundbreaking inspirational manifesto contains over 30 hooks specially designed to captivate your class and 170 brainstorming questions that will skyrocket your creativity. Once you learn the Teach Like a PIRATE system, you'll never look at your role as an educator the same again. Goodreads.com

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink


Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of our lives. He demonstrates that while the old-fashioned carrot-and-stick approach worked successfully in the 20th century, it's precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today's challenges. In Drive, he reveals the three elements of true motivation:

*Autonomy—the desire to direct our own lives
*Mastery—the urge to get better and better at something that matters
*Purpose—the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves
Goodreads.com

TCEA Tots and Technology Conference

image source: http://www.tcea.org/

 

I am so excited to be attending the TCEA (Texas Computer Educators Association) Tots and Technology conference in Galveston Texas.

My husband and I will be co-presenting these sessions:

Skype in the Classroom
Monday June 10 - 10:00
Tuesday June 11 - 1:00

Motivating Students to Write Through Blogging
Tuesday June 11 - 10:00

Creating a Global Classroom
Tuesday June 11 - 11:00

We will also be attending sessions and meeting educators from all over Texas!  I will keep you posted on what we are learning!